In a planning application, an accountant, controller or manager works with a spreadsheet visualization of accounts, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other dimensions of account items. Some accounts in such visualization are derived from other accounts via formulas. These formulas are typically hidden from the user in applications and it is not always easy to trace which account or KPI is derived from which other accounts and with which formula. While accountants are familiar with the formulas for typical KPIs, users of planning application work also with proprietary KPIs that are calculated based on other accounts and KPIs. Since users may define KPIs differently with personalized formulas for example, other users need to understand how these KPIs are calculated.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved data visualization framework that addresses the above-mentioned challenges.